Vince

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Ever get leg cramps in your thighs or calves when you're playing? They can happen for several reasons. From not being adequately hydrated to improper seat height, from not stretching to just being prone to leg cramps. I seem to have inherited my father's painful night cramps. I remember they would pull him out of a dead sleep. I know they were extremely painful from the anguish on his face, and because as I got older, I would awake to the same nightmare. There is nothing like severe leg cramping in the wee hours of the morning. You have no choice but to force yourself to walk stiff-legged around the bed in an effort to work the cramps out, and hammering your fists on your knotted muscles in the hope of a miracle.

Fellow sufferers, I am here to relieve your pain. And I think I can help you because I don't experience leg cramps in my sleep anymore and on the rare occasion I get one while drumming, it is relieved in seconds!

I gleaned these remedies from The People's Pharmacy column in "The Oregonian", and they work for me every time. Cramps seem to respond to mustard and dill pickle brine. But don't rub it on or bathe in it, as you will end up looking and smelling strange. Simply eat it. It's that simple. I keep several little fast food mustard packets in my stick bag. In the event I get a cramp, I just rip open a couple of these little life savers, choke it down like a mustard shooter, and within ten seconds I can feel the cramp ebb away. Drinking pickle juice works too. You could even sip it everyday to fend off your cramps. I suppose just eating a pickle might help, but there is nothing faster than a liquid dose.

While both of these home-remedies work on stage or on your night stand, there is something that may actually prevent you from getting night-leg cramps. Take an ordinary bar of soap, in the wrapper or not, and place it under the bottom sheet near the foot of your bed, somewhere between your knees and ankles.
I don't know why this works. Maybe the bump in your bed causes your legs to reposition while you sleep, or maybe it's the chemistry of the soap, but it works. I wonder if you put a travel bar, like you get in hotel bathrooms, in each front pocket while you play if you might ward off the dreaded leg cramps. Who knows? Might be good for long distance runners too. It's better than having your mouth washed out from all the cursing that comes along with your cramps. Give it a try and let me know if it works for you.

Oct 14, 2007 3:22 AM

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